Lies My Mother Told Me
by SoGrey
Summary: What are the lie's that Olivia Benson's mother told her? Liv-centric with EO undertones, maybe overtones in later chapters. **Chapter Two has been fixed/extended!**
1. Birthdays

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned L&O, but alas, it belongs to Mr Wolf, and NBC, and once again, THE MAN. **

**A/N - Okay, I really REALLY should not be starting a new story, but this one kept eating at me and eating at me until I was forced to lay it all out. I'm still working on my other stories, but I have ADD so they lose my attention at moments, then I go back to them and... just... yeah, I'm trying okay! Get off my back! I know where I'm going with this, and hopefully you'll like it, and it's something different. It's Liv-centric, but there will be some undertones of EO for those who love it as much as I do. Reviews are mandatory. I WILL hunt you down lurkers! Okay, I won't, but leave reviews anyway, just because it would be fetch. ~Grey  
**

_**Lies My Mother Told Me**_

_**Prologue  
**_

Olivia Benson learned at the tender age of twelve that she was the product of her mother's rape. Her mother informed her of the fact on her twelfth birthday. Where as most parents would have sat their child down before bestowing a devastating blow as such, Olivia was not that lucky. There were no hugs and tears. No 'But it doesn't matter, because I love you anyway.' No promises that her future would be brighter than her mother's own had been. It wasn't an episode of Full House, where the sappy music began to play as Danny explained to DJ why life wasn't always perfect. It was hard, it was cold, and it caused little Olivia much more grief than a young girl should know.

Most little girls got to enjoy their birthdays. There were parties, birthday cakes. Birthday hugs and kisses from loving parents. A special birthday outfit maybe. A day to celebrate another wonderful year of life passing. But some little girls don't get to experience those things, one in particular.

_Twelve year old Olivia Benson spent the evening of her birthday huddled in the corner of the family room in the small apartment she shared with her mother. Her thin arms were trying but failing to block the blows her not so loving mother rained down upon her, one after another._

_"Mom! Please! Mom, please stop!" But her cries were ignored, as her mother continued to attack her in a drunken rage. She couldn't even remember what she had done to set the woman off. But Serena continued her unwarranted assault on her only child, stopping finally when she tired herself out._

_Stumbling back towards to couch, Serena Benson snatched up the half empty bottle of vodka she's been enjoying only moments before. She flopped down onto the couch mumbling incoherently to herself, as her daughter sat sobbing in the corner trying to collect herself._

_"Pathetic!" She sneered at young Olivia, tauntingly. "That's right. Sit there in the corner, crying like a little fucking baby!"_

_She took another swig of the alcohol before continuing her verbal assault, until finally Olivia lifted her head from her knees, looking at her mother's face for the first time since the first blow struck her left cheek, that had already turned purple._

_"Why?" It's the only thing she could muster the energy to say, and even though it came out as a barely strangled whisper, the question was powerful and obvious enough to get her an answer._

_"Why?" Serena sneered. "Why do I hate you Olivia?" Olivia flinched at the word 'hate' as her eyes filled with fresh tears. She knew she made her mother angry, though she never meant to. Sometimes her mother didn't seem to like her. But hate her? She never thought Serena hated her._

_"Yes, little one." Serena grinned in pleasure at the look on her daughter's face. "I hate you. I hate everything about you, you little shit! So, why, you want to know? You remind me of him! Every time I look at you, I see him."_

_Tears streamed down Olivia's face, but she didn't speak a word. She was afraid if she spoke, if she made a sound, it would set her mother off once again. It wasn't a beating she was worried about though. She'd dealt with her share of them, and the physical pain always faded. She was more afraid that her mother would stop talking. Wouldn't answer the questions she so desperately needed answered, so she kept silent._

_"Your father." she spat the word out, as if she could actually taste it. "You want to know why he isn't here? Why he didn't want you? He raped me! He was a sick evil son of a bitch, and he took away my innocence and left me with you! And I see it inside of you. You pretend to be so innocent, but I see his demons lurking behind your eyes."_

_"You're just like him. You are him. Everything you know, everything you ever touch will wither and die. No one will ever love you. Your life will be nothing but failure, because you have evil running through your veins."_

_So throughout her childhood, Olivia Benson went through life feeling as if she was never good enough. She held back from living, really living, because she believed her mother's words to be true. She was the product of something evil. Little did she know, it was just one of the many lies her mother told her.  
_  
_** Chapter One**_

_**Children On Their Birthdays  
**_

Twenty years ago to the day, Olivia Benson found out she was the product of rape. Her childhood had already begun to shape her at that point, but that day itself changed the course of her life forever.

Sitting at her desk at the precinct, she was filling out some paperwork that was supposed to be finished days ago. Due to the caseload they'd had, she was just getting around to it. It was a slow day, and she hated it more than usual. Not that she ever loved desk work, but today she would have preferred to anywhere but where she was. She didn't want anyone to bring up the fact that it was her birthday. Every year, she tried to ignore the day and every year someone got it in their head that she needed to get out and celebrate it. The fucking day that was the bane of her existence.

Throughout the years, Elliot finally began to respect her wishes to not make a big deal of the day. He never pushed her to elaborate, but he knew her birthday 'issues' were more than a woman's problems with growing older. They usually had a drink or dinner without mention of the occasion and she liked it just fine. But none of this could be said for anyone else in her life. Someone always brought it up when the dreaded day made itself known. This year, Munch was the first.

"So, Liv. Any special plans tonight?"

Elliot looked up from his own paperwork catching Olivia's eye, before putting his head back down pretending he didn't hear anything. Sighing inwardly, Olivia decided to play dumb.

"No. Why would have special plans, _John_?"

She refused to look at him, hoping he'd take the hint and drop it. No such luck. The older man just chuckled before continuing.

"Come on _Liv_. This year we _are_ celebrating your birthday. Break that stereotypical mold you women create by thinking it's a mortal sin to grow old. You know, it's the government that-" This time she sighed out loud.

"John, look-" she began, but for once luck was on her side, as Cragen chose that moment to step out of his office before the detective could continue. The only thing that could have been worse than him insisting on celebrating her birthday, was if he centered his reasoning around some conspiracy theory.

"Benson! Stabler! 90 West Franklin. Homicide, suspected rape." Throwing Munch a sarcastically sympathetic smile, Olivia stood to follow Elliot out of the precinct nearly skipping as Munch called after her.

"Don't think you're off the hook Benson!"

Minutes later as they drove towards the scene, she caught Elliot watching her from the corner of his eye as he drove.

"Spit it out, and keep your eyes on the road Stabler." she growled, smirking playfully, but not turning to look at him. There was a beat before he spoke.

"Why do you hate your birthday Liv?" He shot her another not so discreet look from the corner of his eye as he waited for her to tell him she didn't want to talk about it, but she surprised him.

Sighing, she decided to come clean to Elliot. After all, he'd been the first to know about the situation with her mother, so it wasn't really that big a deal and probably wouldn't even be much of a shock. She just hated that it was one more thing that made her seem weak.

"My twelfth birthday was the day that I found out," she stated in a monotone voice staring straight ahead. Stopping at a red light, Elliot finally turned to her in confusion. She faced him with another sigh.

"About my father. I guess my Mom thought it was a suitable gift, though I wish she'd kept the receipt," she laughed humorlessly. At the look of pain that flashed behind her eyes, Elliot wanted to stop the car right there and pull her into a hug, but he knew she wouldn't like it. She'd probably clock him.

Instead he settled for reaching across the seat to squeeze her hand. He was pleasantly surprised when she didn't pull away. Appreciating the fact that he didn't comment, she squeezed back affectionately. Elliot never made her feel weak.

**A/N - So, chapter one isn't much action wise, but it's sort of setting the scene for the rest of the story. Whatcha' think?**


	2. Background

**Disclaimer: I own MY characters who will be mostly introduced in the next chapter. Other than that, I am NOT Mr. Wolf, nor do I work for NBC, so you KNOW nothing else is mine.**

**A/N - This chapter isn't very exciting, and has only one maybe two mentions of Olivia, but it's critical for the case. The next chapter definitely has Olivia, and will start to pick up, I think. Let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas, TELL me! I know where I want this story to go, and I already have an ending, but if you have some ideas that I can incorporate, tell me! I'll add them, if I can. I'll accept EO ideas, but make them mostly Liv-Centric, as that's what I want this story to be. And SHOUT-OUT's to… xxkimyxx, mia66, Sara Hudson, and **.Fanx8x**. Thanks for the reviews! *hearts u***

**A/N - This chapter is EDITED! Thanks for all the awesome reviews, but I didn't deserve them because I left off HALF the chapter. I went back and read it like wtf?! This was originally supposed to be two chapters, but since I screwed up I made it one LONG chapter. I'm so sorry guys! But you *can* count this as an update, though it's just more background for the story.  
**

_**Chapter Two**_

_**Background**_

The Medical Examiner wasn't at the scene when they arrived, so the pair of detectives approached one of the responding officers, flashing their badges.

"I'm Detective Stabler. This is Detective Benson." Elliot nodded in Olivia's direction. "What have we got?" He asked, pulling on a pair of latex gloves as Olivia did the same.

"Neighbor called it in. Said she heard shouting and several large thumps. The door was closed, but unlocked when we got here and we could smell smoke out in the hallway, though the fire burned itself out before we made it inside."

The apartment was immaculate, like something out of a magazine. There were expensive paintings and portraits as well as statues, other expensive artwork and such, but to Elliot's trained eye something was missing though he didn't immediately know what.

As the uniformed officer spoke and walked them through the scene, he led the detectives to what turned out to be the master bedroom. The bed was unmade, the sheets and blanket wet with blood, and there was a blood covered butcher knife protruding from the pillow next to what appeared to be a mound of human flesh. On the floor near the dresser were remnants of a broken lamp.

"Body is in the bathtub in the master bath. It's pretty bad." He warned, shaking his head as he stopped next to the bed, making no effort to return to the connected bathroom. The door frame and door were both splintered, as if the door had been kicked in, and the doorknob had blood on it.

Upon entering they were met with a gruesome sight. There was blood splattered across almost every surface, and crouched in the bathtub was the body of what appeared to be a woman, judging by her hair and build. She was slumped over, hair covering her face, and was completely nude.

Cuts and bruises melted in and out of one another over her entire body. Scattered about her body were what looked to be burnt documents and pictures.

"Jesus." Elliot whispered. The scene was horrible. He couldn't believe that someone could do something like this to another human being no matter _how_ many times he witnessed crime scenes similar to this one.

Upon looking at the burnt remains of what were once pictures, he realized what had been missing as they walked through the home. There were no personal pictures on the walls or tables throughout the house. Their perp had decided to burn them all.

Olivia stood, eyes watering with her hand over her mouth, attempting not to gag and prepared to turn away when a small movement caught her eye. Instantly the bathroom bathed in blood and the woman's body seemed to disappear.

"Elliot!" she cried, leaning over in the tub, grabbing hold of the little hand she'd just seen twitch underneath the dead woman's arm. Elliot turned to see what his partner was doing just as she gently pushed the woman's body back, reluctantly, in order to gain access to the little one obviously hidden below. As the body fell back Elliot gasped.

There underneath the corpse was a little girl, covered in blood, wounded, but very much alive.

**********

While Olivia went to the hospital with the little girl, Elliot finished up at the scene and headed back to the precinct to await the rest of the report from the ME. When they'd moved the body, the woman's head had fallen back. She'd been beaten about the face so severely that she it was completely unrecognizable. Not that there were any photos to compare her face to had it been recognizable.

Melinda said she'd been stabbed several times with a kitchen butcher knife as well as beaten with a blunt object. Judging from the removal of the breast, she guessed there was also a sexual assault, but would have a positive answer upon further examination of the woman's body. She informed Elliot that the mound of flesh on the bed turned out to be a woman's breast.

Back at the precinct, Elliot relayed the information to his superior, while giving his own theory of some of the evens.

"I'm thinking she was alive while he was removing her breast, but probably unconscious, but he was interrupted. Perhaps by the little girl."

"Why do you say that?" Cragen asked.

"Well, she was in the bathtub when we found her, arms wrapped around the little girl. I think she came into the room, and our perp went after her. The woman wakes up, hits him with the lamp, panics that he's not unconscious and locks herself and the little girl in the bathroom. He breaks the door down, and finishes what he started but without the knife. Maybe he used an object, maybe his fists. Neighbors said they smelled smoke and heard the fire alarm going off, so maybe he panicked and decided to make a run for it before the police came. Left the little girl, figuring whether she fingered him or not, it wouldn't matter because he'd be our prime suspect."

Upon searching the house, they found that Elliot's earlier assumption had been right. All the personal photos in the house seemed to have been destroyed.

"So the little girl was still alive?" Shock registered on Cragen's face as he absorbed the information Elliot had just given him. The detective nodded at his captain.

"I'm guessing the woman was her mother. Looks like she was trying to shield her from the attack. Liv called. Should be back soon. She said the doctor found some cuts and bruises on the kid. Her hand was burned and she had a pretty nasty blow to the head. That's the worst of her injuries. They don't know if she'll regain consciousness, and so far we don't have anyone to notify."

"What about the father?" Cragen asked.

"I'm liking him for our perp. Initially I assumed it could have been someone taking revenge by going through his family, but the destroyed pictures seems too personal. Also, there was a computer hookup, but no computer. No cell phones or address books. There wasn't even any mail, but we caught a break as we were leaving the building, the mailman was making his rounds."

"So…"

"So, according to the neighbors, they're new to the building. No one knows their names. I have no idea where he works, or who his family is, and whoever killed that woman made sure we'd have to work to find her identity." Cragen nodded, absorbing the information.

During their investigation, Elliot and CSU had, due to the neighbors statements and the evidence they found, that there was a family of at least three living in the apartment on the 12th floor. They'd just moved in 2 weeks earlier, and while the husband was seen coming and going, the mother and child stayed home usually. Before the police had been called, they'd heard arguing, some loud thumps and then silence. The police had only been called when several neighbors smelled smoke.

"The woman, if that was in fact her we found, is named Mrs. Elena Margolis according to the bills. Aged late twenties, earlier thirties. The caretaker is out of town, so we've yet to confirm it with him. The little girl looks to be about three, according to the neighbors. One woman recalls her being addressed as Mariah by the mother on one occasion. The man, Michael Margolis is conveniently unaccounted for."

While Olivia went to the hospital with the little girl, Elliot finished up at the scene and headed back to the precinct to await the rest of the report from the ME. When they'd moved the body, the woman's head fell back. She'd been beaten about the face so severely that she it was completely unrecognizable. Not that there were any photos to compare her face to had it been recognizable.

Melinda Warner told the detective that the woman had been stabbed several times with a kitchen butcher knife as well as beaten with a blunt object. Judging from the removal of the breast, she'd ventured a guess that there was also a sexual assault, but would have a positive answer upon further examination of the woman's body. She informed Elliot that the mound of flesh on the bed turned out to be a woman's breast.

Back at the precinct, Elliot relayed the information to his superior, while giving his own theory of some of the evens.

"I'm thinking she was alive while he was removing her breast, but probably unconscious, then he was interrupted. Perhaps by the little girl." Elliot commented as he looked at the crime scene photos CSU had just delivered to the precinct. He couldn't imagine what the little girl had witnessed, and though it was his job, he didn't want to.

"Why do you say that?" Cragen asked, also looking over the photos with a knot in his stomach.

"Well, she was in the bathtub when we found her, arms wrapped around the little girl." Elliot would never be able to erase that image from his mind.

"I think the little girl came into the room, and our perp was startled and went after her. In the mean time, the woman wakes up, sees him assaulting, or attempting to assault the kid, hits him with the lamp, panics when she sees that he's down but he's not unconscious and locks herself and the little girl in the bathroom. He gets up, breaks the door down, and attempts to finish what he started but without the knife. Maybe he used an object, maybe his fists. She 's dead and the little girl is unconscious, so he realized what he's done and starts to plan his getaway. Gets the cell phones and address books, then goes through the place, collecting all the personal photos to set ablaze." Elliot is speaking, but the captain can tell he's mostly talking to himself.

"Neighbors said they smelled smoke and heard the fire alarm going off, so maybe he panicked when it first went off, and decided to make a run for it before the police came. Left the little girl, figuring whether she fingered him or not, it wouldn't matter because he'd be our prime suspect. He was just concerned with getting out of the apartment… maybe even the city/state."

Upon searching the house, they'd found that Elliot's earlier assumption had been right. All the personal photos in the house seemed to have been destroyed. That's where he'd come up with part of his theory.

"So the little girl was still alive?" Shock registered on Cragen's face as he absorbed the information Elliot had just given him. The detective nodded at his captain.

"I'm guessing the woman was her mother, but Melinda will have to confirm that. To me it looked like she was trying to shield her from the attack, or try and prevent her from witnessing what was happening. Liv called just before I got here. She should be back soon. She said the doctor found some cuts and bruises on the kid. Her hand was burned, but it was minor, and she had a pretty nasty blow to the head. That's the worst of her injuries. They don't know if she'll regain consciousness, and so far we don't have anyone to notify."

"What about the father?" Cragen asked.

"I'm liking him for our perp. Initially I assumed it could have been someone taking revenge by going through his family, but the destroyed pictures seems too personal. Also, there was a computer hookup, but no computer as well as a wall charger for what could have been a laptop. No cell phones or address books. There wasn't even any mail, but we caught a break. As we were leaving the building, the mailman was making his rounds."

"So…"

"So, according to the neighbors, they were new to the building. No one knew their names. I have no idea where he works, or who his family is, and whoever killed that woman made sure we'd have to work to find her identity. But the mail at least gave us an idea of who lived in the apartment." Cragen nodded, absorbing the information.

Upon their investigation, Elliot and CSU had, due to the neighbors statements and the evidence they found, that there was a family of at least three living in the apartment on the 12th floor. They'd just moved in 2 weeks earlier, and while the husband was seen coming and going, the mother and child stayed home usually. Before the police had been called, they'd heard arguing, some loud thumps and then silence. The police had only been called when several neighbors smelled smoke.

"The woman, if that was in fact her we found, was named Mrs. Elena Margolis, according to the bills. Aged late twenties, earlier thirties. The caretaker is out of town, so we've yet to confirm it with him. The little girl looks to be about three, according to the neighbors. One woman recalls her being addressed as Mariah by the mother on one occasion. The man, Michael Margolis is conveniently unaccounted for."


	3. Elena?

**Disclaimer: I own MY characters who will be mostly introduced in the next chapter. Other than that, I am NOT Mr. Wolf, nor do I work for NBC, so you KNOW nothing else is mine.**

**A/N - Here is chapter three. Once again, I'm still setting up the background for the story, but hopefully there will only be two more chapters of this, before we get into some action.**

**Also, if you haven't, _re-read chapter 2_! I left out a WHOLE lot, and I just now realized while going back to re-read it. Proof read people! It helps, though I know I didn't catch ALL of my mistakes. But that's what I have you guys for! Point 'em out, but be nice. I cry easily, *sniff*.**

**I hope you're still with me on this, and I'll try to update more often, as well as my other stories. I have the attention span of a two- OH LOOK! A cookie! I love cookies! Chocolate chip ones are good. And Oreos. Yep. What was I saying?  
**

_**Chapter Three**_

_**Elena?**_

Olivia paced the hallway at Mercy General awaiting the doctor's return to update her on the condition of the little girl she'd previously arrived with. She couldn't imagine what that little girl had gone through, and imagined the fact that she was unconscious at the moment a small blessing. She wondered if she'd actually witnessed the older woman being killed, but prayed that she was already unconscious when it happened.

All of the victims she worked with got to her in some way or another, but there was something about the little girl that was pulling at her more than usual. It was taking nearly all of her strength not to push past the doctors and nurses and take her into her arms.

Olivia wanted to cry when she found the little girl. She was been covered in blood from head to toe, her long hair and pajamas so saturated that the color both was unknown. The movement Olivia had witnessed had probably been an involuntary muscle twitch, because it hadn't happened again on the ride to the hospital. Finally after what seemed like hours, a doctor approached the anxious detective.

"Detective…?"

"Benson," she supplied. "Is the little girl alright?"

"Well we spent some time cleaning her up before we could even begin our exam. Thankfully, none of the blood was hers."

'Small favors', Olivia thought.

"Her only physical injuries seem to be a blow to the head, and several minor bruises on her arms and torso. No broken bones, no cuts or scratches. Right now, we're just waiting for her to wake up. But, she should make a full recovery."

Olivia let out a huge breath she hadn't even realized she was holding.

"Have you contacted the family?" the doctor asked.

"Um, no we… we haven't found any yet." The doctor nodded at the detective sympathetically.

"Can I…?" she began, but the doctor nodded before she could even finish.

"Right this way detective."

Olivia arrived back at the station 20 minutes after informing her partner of the doctors findings, to find Elliot just hanging up the phone.

"Good news Cap!" he called out. "Caretakers on his way right now. Should give us a confirmation on the residents of that apartment." He swiveled around in his chair just as Olivia sat across from her at her desk.

"Hey Liv. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine El."

Elliot watched her skeptically, as Olivia pretended that she didn't notice. Instead she opted to start up her computer… for no reason considering she didn't need it for anything.

"Her name is Mariah." Elliot waited for her too meet his eyes, but she never did. Instead she stared at the keyboard.

"Mariah," she repeated.

********

Arriving twenty minutes after Olivia, the caretaker confirmed that on the 12th floor at 90 West Franklin the residents were in fact Elena, Michael, and Mariah Margolis. He'd never received any noise complaints, and didn't suspect that there had been any abuse in the home. He confirmed the little girl was Mariah when Olivia showed him a picture she'd taken of the sleeping child at the hospital. But he also confirmed that there was another tenant. A teenager that he had no name for.

"I'm going to head back to see if she's awake," Olivia informed Elliot as they headed away from the interview room after letting the caretaker know that he was free to go.

"They said they'd call you as soon as she was awake, Liv." The case was bothering her more than usual, and he couldn't pinpoint exactly why. To her credit, she couldn't either.

"I know I just-", but she stopped when she heard a voice coming from the bullpen just as they were entering.

"…my sister's neighbor gave me the card. She told me something happened in their apartment, and I used my key to get in! What happened, where are they?!" The detectives fully entered the area and set eyes on teenaged girl practically screaming hysterically at Fin.

"Ma'am, you have to calm down." Her lead the girl gently to a chair, coaxing her to sit. "Now where does your sister live?"

She sniffed a bit, accepting the Kleenex Fin handed her before answering.

"Tribeca. 90 West Franklin, 12th floor." At this, Elliot broke in.

"We've got this one Fin," he stepped forward just as the girl turned into the direction of where he and Olivia were standing.

"Ma'am, why don't you-", but he was cut off as the girl practically flew from her chair, nearly tackling Olivia in a fierce hug.

"Oh my God! Elena, I thought you were hurt!" she sobbed as she clung to Olivia like a lifeline. Olivia and the rest of the detectives froze, each of them too stunned to react right away.

********

The officers in at the 16th Precinct had been stunned to silence moments earlier, now Detectives Stabler and Benson were in an interview room trying to convince an obviously annoyed and confused teenager that Olivia was not her sister.

"My name", Olivia emphasized each word, "is Olivia Benson."

She wasn't annoyed in the least, just a little embarrassed at the looks she'd gotten from the officers before she and Elliot entered the interview room a bit confused themselves. She guessed she could look like the girls sister, as they never got to see a picture of the woman, and the face of the corpse was unrecognizable.

The girl was still having none of it though. She rolled her eyes in true teenaged fashion, then gave an Olivia with an incredulous look.

"Okay Elena, the fact that you are not funny on a _good_ day, and the lack of hilarity in this situation suffices to say now is really not the time for jokes!" The girl's voice was laced with pure annoyance as she spoke. Olivia sighed loudly and looked to Elliot for support.

"I'm sorry…?" Elliot began.

"Val." She supplied.

"I'm sorry, Val. Though apparently they look alike," he glanced at Olivia, "this is not your sister. She's telling the truth."

Val looked between the two skeptically, but it seemed as though she was actually considering what he was telling her, so he continued.

"This is Detective Olivia Benson. She's been my partner for the past ten years. She's not Elena." He emphasized once again, though sympathetically.

"I'm sorry." Olivia spoke up, feeling bad for the girl. Her own heart reached out to her. She couldn't imagine what the young woman was going through. Arriving at her sister's house and thinking the worst, then finding what she thought was her sister in relief. Now she was going to find out that what she'd been thinking in the first place was most likely true.

Watching their faces, a horrible feeling crept into the pit of Val's stomach. Honestly, deep down, she knew she was in denial. Though the woman sitting across from her was the spitting image of her sister, she knew Elena would never play a joke that would leave her younger sister in such distress. The people across from her were telling the truth.

Eyes filling with tears, Val took a deep shuddering breath before asking the question she'd thought, _hoped_, she wouldn't have to ask again.

"Where are they? Where's Elena and Mariah?"

It was Olivia who answered first.

"I'm sorry…" Val began to shake her head in denial, and Olivia reached for her hand.

"Your sister was murdered. Mariah is-", she was cut off by her phone ringing. Looking at the caller ID she noticed it was Mercy General.

"Give me one second." She stood leaving Elliot in the room with the sobbing girl.

She was gone less than a minute, leaving Elliot hoping that it was the hospital giving them some actual good news to give the grieving girl.

When Olivia entered the room, her face said it all.

"That was the hospital. Mariah's awake."

********

The car ride to the hospital was silent, as everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Val was sitting in the back attempting to absorb that past 24 hours events. First she'd been on a plane, flying home from Europe without a care in the world. She'd just spoken to her sister the night before, and she'd never suspected anything was wrong. Well anything serious.

Now she was heading to the hospital to see her niece who'd apparently been hurt while her mother, Val's sister, was presumed to have been murdered.

Olivia was still reeling from the reaction she'd gotten from the teenager upon seeing her. There was something there. Some sort of connection she'd felt when the girl launched herself into her arms, but part of it she guessed was just wishful thinking. Her longing to have a family surfaced with a vengeance when the girl mistook her for her sister. Looking in the rearview mirror, she caught the girl's red rimmed eyes once more.

"God, you look just like her," she said softly with a sad smile, as her tears began to fall once more. Olivia just gave her a sad smile of her own.

"I'm so sorry sweetie."

"Do you… do you know who did it?" Olivia and Elliot exchanged a look. They had some ideas, but they'd wanted to question the teen and her niece (if they could) first.

"No, honey, we don't know yet, but-" Olivia began.

"It was Michael," the girl stated firmly. "She must have told him…" she trailed off, and put her face in her hands, sobbing in earnest. "I should have kept my damn mouth shut! I shouldn't have fucking said anything!"

Elliot and Olivia exchanged looks again, as Olivia turned in her seat, attempting to comfort the distraught teenager.

"Honey, what do you mean?" Elliot asked, watching carefully through the mirror so he could keep an eye on the road. "Did your sister's husband do something to you?"

Val only continued to sob while mumbling over and over, "I'm so sorry Elena, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…"

**A/N - I am not the type of person that would EVER degrade myself by begging *scoff*, so I'm just going to say this... REVIEW PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE PUH-LEEEEEASE! I'll do anything! I'll call your car, and wash your Mom! **


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